A Close Call
by serenidad
Summary: About side effects & bedside manners.


He moaned. Every breath hurt.

The light felt sharp in his eyes, but he quickly adapted to it.

Sickbay was reasonably crowded for a saturday morning. Yet, he uncomfortable noticed, he seemed to be the only officer bad enough to lie flat on a tray, everyone around was at least sitting at the edge of theirs.

„You're awake." It was not a question. He heard the distinct, unobstrusive sound of a tricorder. „Honestly, Ensign, I'd have always expected you to end up here with an exacerbated Jek'tah infection, or a malicious strain of Oligion flue, or an aggressive gnorrhae..."

„That's really foresightful I appreciate the effort, but would you mind not shouting so loud, Doctor?"

„I am not discussing your case with an unconcerned third party, am I, Ensign?"

„No, you're not", the young man admitted, let his head rest on the smooth surface. „but we both know that it takes more to obey the rules than following orders to the letter."

„Oh, do you?", the physician looked at him in mild surprise and honest interest, „Which semester are you, cadet? Fifth?"

„Second, Doctor Kun."

„And have your parents been serving in Starfleet as well?"

„Nothing would be further from them." He aimed to sit up, but the muscles over his abdomen issued excruting protest. „Doctor, I don't mean to be a pussy, but this pain gets to me."

„It's supposed to prevent you from moving", the physician admitted, „Whenever I get young officers in after a brawl or some stupid challenge in which they hurt themselves, I keep the dosage low."

„I do not recall the function of a medical officer to include educational tasks", the Ensign commented politely through gritted teeth, „Nor disclipinary action, for that matter."

„You got enough painkiller to ease the utmost stress, not enough to have you jump from your bunk and rejoin the fight, or plunge into headless revenge for the shame of being beaten to a pulp. You can smash one another's heads in whatever field trip you're on, but not before I'm sure that you're head's working properly."

„And did you develop those methods since Klingons are allowed to join?"

„No, they've always been suitable for humans", the physician answered dryly, „Klingons go the whole way, and usually kill themselves when they wake up here. Lost their honor, see."

„So if I promise to wait 'til you're done conducting your educational experiments on me, I'll get something against the pain?"

„Excatly."

„Then I hereby promise to wait for your permission to leave sickbay", the Ensign gave in, rolling his eyes, stretching his feet demonstratively down along the whole length of the bunk.

„And as I know you to be a man of your word, Ensign Picard, you get this, as promised", Doctor Kun replied calmly and administered a hypospray on his wrist.

The pain subsided.

„I could still run away, you know", Picard teased him, folding arms across his stomach.

„Being out on suicide watch during first year would limit your career options considerably, if it's not too bold to say", Doctor Kun replied softly. Now that Picard had promised to stay put, he appeared relieved of some indistinct pressure. They kept a comfortable silence until Kun had finished his examination.

„So what _did_ happen to me, Doctor? Why does my chest feel like I had been hit by a shuttle?", Picard raised his voice when Kun placed the tricorder back on a tray.

„Now that we've made it through the funny part, I'm afraid I'll have to update you on your condition." Kun pulled up a chair, which made Picard take him serious for the first time.

„As I said, I would have expected you to end up here with maybe scratches from one of your encounters who accidentally runs into you on another redezvous and looses her contenance", Kun began, ,But never would I've thought you'd start the utmost stupid fight in a bar with thress Nausicaans. _Nausicaans_, Jean-Luc. Your sidekick – what's his name, Johnny? - told me you called one of them a coward."

„Suppose I did", Picard answered in a low voice, blurred images flashing thorugh his mind.

„It was a close call if I ever had one", Kun went on, dead serious, „You had serious trauma to the lungs, but your hearts condition was critical. The knife missed your spine, but cut through the back of your heart, straight down to the ventricels. It severed the septum and horizontal plane. I tried to reattach the valves, but to no avail. You kept bleedig in the thorax and circulation shut down."

Kun took a deep breath, more to calm himself than Picard. „I had to remove the organ and replace it by an artificial device."

With a plunge in his stomach, time had stopped. _So close_.

Picard forced himself to a light chuckle. „So I _am_ heartless, after all."

_I put everything on the line, just to get a good friday night's entertainment._

„Jean-Luc, your mentor has informed me that there will be a hearing once you've recovered", Kun laid out, maintaining a close look on his reaction. „I am not supposed to tell you that. But since you've provoked an unnecassary clash with heavily armed strangers, they are questioning whether you're truly fit to serve as an officer. Starfleet does not welcome officers who can't exercise their need for adrenaline through proper channels, however suitable for their age it might be."

In every other conversation, Picard certainly would have rejected being lectured like this, but the physician had not said it in any supercilious, haughty manner he was well accostumed to by the Academy's mentors. Picard was aware of his temper, his stubbornness when it came to superiors and taking orders, but he had also learned to recognize a man providing good and serious advice.

„If you're smooth and punctual for meeting with the assigned psychologist, you should get off with some regular exercise, to ease the tension and improve your overall condition", Kun explained. „But you should reconsider pursuing your plans to specialize on ops. Action does not suit you, Jean-Luc, you're too much of an attentive, reflective person, even if you'd never admit it. It's a minor miracle that no one of your conquests felt the need to ram a knife in your chest, and they must be of a considerable amount by now."

„They are", Ensign Picard confirmed, grinned, and quickly decided best to leave it at that. The next words were much harder to issue. „So what's your recommendation, Doctor? Hide in the library and labs for intense historical research in stellar cartography?"

„If you notice an increase of vigilance in your behaviour within the next weeks and suffer from intense nightmares, that's a perfectly legitimate career path to engage in. But I'd rather play on my strenghts, if I were you", Kun replied, rising slowly from his chair. „You've always been exemplary in negotations with the ladies."


End file.
